A Little Surprise
by PracticallyPerfectJulie
Summary: A surpise is instore for Genovia, and our favourite royal family!


_A little surprise!_

_Princess diaries Fan Fic, Based on the characters in the films!_

_Chapter one_

_He was only gone three days, but to Clarisse, it seemed an eternity! _

_Clarisse awoke on the morning of Joseph's return from his visit to relatives in Spain, she rolled over, her head pounding, her stomach queasy, she hadn't slept very much at all, she had been sick four times in the night, and when she had her dreams had been filled of long corridors, shadows, thunderstorms, and no Joseph to protect her. _

_A small knock came at the door. 'Come in' She moaned._

_'Your Majesty? Are you alright?' charlotte walked toward her bed, placing a cup of tea on the cabinet and kneeling next to Clarisse's bed. _

_'Not really, but I'll be…' Clarisse slipped out of the bed and made a beeline for the bathroom. Charlotte came up behind her._

_'You don't sound very alright ma'am, being sick isn't usually a sign of that!' Clarisse lifted her head from the toilet, and frowned, 'Sorry' she helped Clarisse to her feet, and ran a warm bath with scented oils, and helped her into a clean nightdress and back into bed. _

_Mia came in with the hopes of help with some of her work only to find charlotte sat on the sofa, reading Clarisse's copy of pride and prejudice. _

_'Oh! Charlotte, is Grandma up?' _

_'No, Mia, she isn't feeling well.'_

_Mia looked forlorn, her grandmother was never ill! Not since she had known her at least._

_' Mia?' a small croaky voice said from the direction of Clarisse's room. Mia practically ran into her room, collapsing to the floor at the edge of the bed. _

_'Grandma! What's wrong, can I help?' _

_Chapter two _

_Joseph walked into the palace, he had missed Clarisse. He couldn't find her anywhere! she couldn't still be in bed! But on his journey up to her room he found Charlotte looking distressed, she had an idea what was troubling Clarisse, but didn't want to ask. _

_'Oh, Charlotte, Have you seen Clarisse?' Charlotte jumped out of her thoughts. _

_'OH! Joseph, yes, she's in bed, she isn't feeling too well.' Joseph practically leaped passed Charlotte, ran along the corridor, nearly sent Mia flying, and ran to Clarisse's bedside. _

_'Clarisse! What's the matter? What's wrong?' he was worries now, he in all his years at the palace, he had never seen Clarisse ill, _

_'I'm fine there is no need to fuss, I was just sick, that's all, nothing to worry about!' she smiled at him weakly. Joseph slipped into bed next to her, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close, _

_'Oh, Clarisse, don't scare me like that!' She didn't answer, she was worried, just like Charlotte, she had an idea of what was wrong, but she didn't want to believe it._

_It was late that night, Clarisse hadn't been sick again, but was still looking pale. They lay in the darkness, in each other's arms, Joseph decided he needed to do it, ask her, he had been toying with the idea all day._

_'Clarisse?' he asked gingerly. _

_'Mmm' She groaned next to him, her eyes resting on his._

_'Is there any possible chance that you could be pregnant?' he asked, hoping she wouldn't yell at him. There was a sharp intake of breath from Clarisse. She looked deeper into his eyes._

_'Oh gosh! I never thought of that!' _

_'You mean you might be?' Clarisse didn't answer; she ran out of the room, in the direction of the door, she slipped along the corridors into Mia's suite. A quick glance into her bedroom told her she was sound asleep. She scanned the dark bathroom, 'got it!' she muttered to herself. _

_She emerged from her own bathroom several minutes later._

_'Joseph I can't look!' she thrust the pregnancy test at him_

_'What gives you the idea that I can?' She laughed. But never the less he took it off her and dropped it immediately, as if it were burning hot. His eyes filled with tears, his mouth dropped open, Clarisse had the instant thought to tell him he wasn't a cod fish, but didn't! 'It's positive!' he gasped, and gazed into her tears filled eyes. She bent to pick it up, it was. Joseph put his arms around her and together they made their way to the sofa. _

_He kissed her forehead, tears were trickling down her cheeks, he rocked her gently. _

_'We'll be fine, you've done it before!' he said reassuringly._

_'I no! But I wasn't forty-five then was I!' she began to cry harder, she didn't know why; all she'd ever wanted was for her and Joseph to have a family. Joseph pulled her in closer._

_Just then there was a knock at the door and Charlotte came in. _

_'Oh! Your majesty, is there something wrong?' Charlotte was shocked; the only tine she had ever cried quite so much was when Prince Philippe had been killed, what was happening to her. Then realisation dawned. _

_'Yes, Charlotte I'm fine, or I will be when I have calmed down a bit.' Charlotte didn't say anything, she just nodded. Clarisse knew she would have to tell Charlotte, she was by far the person who knew Clarisse far too well to be fooled, she would work it out, if she hadn't already. _

_Chapter three_

_Clarisse walked out of her bedroom to wear Joseph awaited her._

_'Well?' he said, but he knew the answer already, by her tears stained face and small smile of satisfaction on her face. _

_'Well…we are going to be parents!' she flung her hands around neck, he slid his around her middle and kissed her, lifting her off her feet and spinning her around as he did so. She shrieked, and began to giggle. 'oh! Joseph! I've never been so happy before in my life!'_

_'I didn't know it was possible to be this happy! I love you Clarisse!' he set her back on her feet, she was still smiling, her eyes still glistening with tears. Charlotte smiled from the far doorway, she hadn't heard Clarisse's comment about being parents, she had only seen Joseph swinging her around, so she had no need to guess what the doctor had to say._

_'Your majesty?' Clarisse smiled at her. _

_'Charlotte, you of all people must have some idea what is wrong with me, you spent pretty much all you time within a few feet of me!' charlotte laughed._

_'I have my suspicions, however I don't think it is my place to voice them.' Joseph laughed now, too. _

_'She's in a good mood Charlotte I don't think she will mind!' Clarisse piped up before Charlotte had time to answer._

_'Charlotte, I'm pregnant!' Charlotte grinned. She knew this was something Clarisse had wanted for so long._

_'I KNEW IT!' a voice came from Mia in the corridor outside. She walked in. 'It was you wasn't it!' Clarisse looked stunned. 'Oh! The other night, someone came into my room! I was half asleep! I knew it was you!' Clarisse laughed and nodded, putting her arms around her granddaughter. _

_A glorified happiness seemed to fill the castle over the next two days, everyone seemed to be thriving under the joys of Clarisse and Joseph, they had yet to leave each other's sides. Clarisse was a little worried about making a speech to the Genovian public about her pregnancy, she knew the kind of comments she'd get, but currently, in her new found happiness, she couldn't care less!_

_Chapter four_

_'Presenting Her Majesty Dowager Queen Clarisse Renaldi Romero and Sir Joseph Romero!' hand in hand they walked out onto the palace steps, positively beaming. After the cheering and clapping died down, Clarisse cleared her throat and spoke._

_'My fellow Genovian's, I have an announcement to make, which I hope you will be as delighted about as we are. It wasn't so long ago that I believed I would never be happy again, that I had no one, no one to be there for me, no one to make me smile. However, Mia and Joseph have certainly cheered me up no end! And the piece of news a received two days ago certainly was the icing on the cake as they say! Well, here goes.' Clarisse took a deep breath, 'I'm pregnant.' A scream went up from the crowd, clapping, and the cheers echoed around the grounds, Joseph put his arm around her back pulling her in to kiss her forehead. _

_'Well I can honestly say I'm glad that's over!' Clarisse was sat on Josephs lap, a cup of tea in one hand, and a copy of pride and prejudice in the other. _

_'Your book, or announcing the baby to the whole of the country?' she laughed, _

_'Well both really! I need some help to find a better book! I can't keep reading this, it's deadly boring! Well, it wasn't the first ten times, but it is beginning to get a little tedious!' Joseph stood up Clarisse in his arms and walked down the corridors to the library. She giggled._

_'Now! Ma'am!' Joseph said placing her on one of the chintz armchairs. 'What takes your fancy?' Clarisse scanned the shelves, her tongue gripped in her teeth. Seeing the undecided look on Clarisse's face, Joseph decided to choose for her. He wandered round the shelves, he choose a book of magic, the complete works of Shakespeare, Bridget Jones: the edge of reason and children's fairytales and poems. He handed the pile to her one at a time, she laughed at the book of magic but put it to one side, nearly hit him over the head with the complete works of Shakespeare, put Bridget to one side and began reading the fairytales, she had always had a weak spot for children's stories, something Joseph knew oh so well. Smiling at the pleased look on his wife's face, he took a second circuit of the library. Keyholes of the world, (security manual!), 101 cous cous recipe's, (Does the whole of Genovia know that Clarisse can't cook?), drains and sewers of East London (What is Joseph thinking?) and Roller skating hero's of the nineteen seventies (What did Joseph do in his spear time?) _

_'Joseph love, I am a little concerned for you sanity, is there anything I may actually want to read?' she was genuinely 'concerned for his sanity', with titles like THAT!_

_'What about this? It's sort of relevant!' Joseph handed Clarisse a small paper back book, 'Dumpy the dump truck' Clarisse open it and read it through. She smiled; she did have a soft spot for children's stories. Joseph passed her another book, 'the very last of the wangdoodles' Clarisse smiled she curled up in the chair and began to read; she was still a child at heart._

_Chapter five_

_'To our first Christmas!' They were all sat around the table in the dining hall, Clarisse, Joseph, Mia, Nick, Pierre, Charlotte, Helen, Patrick, and a Trevor, who didn't seem to have a clue what was going on! Joseph kissed his wife's cheek. 'Well?' Clarisse only gazed into his eyes; they had had an eventful day to say the least! _

_Clarisse had been awoken very early with a sharp pain in her stomach, she giggled. _

_'Joseph?' no response 'Joseph?' still nothing, 'JOSEPH?' she kicked him in the back of his shins. _

_'What?' he murmured. _

_'Joseph it kicked me! Here give me you hand!' he did so; she placed his hand on the bump on her stomach. He laughed as he felt a thump against his hand. _

_Presents had Mia in hysterics, and as laughter was contagious, they had all been rolling around on the floor in the ballroom; Mia had been given a Mrs Santa Claus suit by Nick and she'd put it on and for no apparent reason had found the whole experience utterly hilarious! Clarisse had been given a heart shaped locket, with places for two pictures, and as Joseph knew this wasn't enough he had bought her a photo album as well, filled with pictures, Pierre and Philippe as babies, Clarisse and Joseph on their wedding day, Mia and Clarisse, various coronation pictures, and several Mia had taken with an instant camera that afternoon, and the ultrasound scan Clarisse had had several days previously. Joseph had been given a black box, the contents of which he refused to show Mia and Nick, he only laughed at the innocent expression on Clarisse's face. _

_Later that evening Clarisse and Joseph were stood on the balcony, he stood behind her, his chin resting on her head, and his arms around her stomach. She was beginning to show now; it had been nearly six months since Clarisse made the announcement to Genovia, and getting even more tiered by the day. _

_'Come on love, it's getting late, and cold. We don't want you two to catch cold now do we.' Clarisse laughed, they made their slow amble into bed, snuggled up together in the darkness, snow beginning to fall outside, warmth and love filling the palace to full capacity, in every corner, drawer and shelf. _

_'Merry Christmas, Clarisse!'_

_'Merry Christmas, Joseph!' _


End file.
